Swamiji continues with the 2nd and 3rd of the ‘Three fears’.
This post continues the conversation of the 'Three fears' started in Post 112-Track 4, which dealt with the first fear: Adhyatmika – fears associated with the body and mind.
Swamiji says: Sitting talking spiritual matters with a group of people – that is spiritual food. And when you leave that place, your mind is permeated with vitality and energy – soul energy. And soul energy is always divine energy. Because 'Each soul is potentially divine' [as Swami Vivekananda famously said]. To manifest this divinity is the whole of religion. To live a spiritual life is to manifest this divinity.
Swamiji gives steps and examples to do this. The emphasis is that spiritual life and living are not haphazard ways of living. If we think that, Swamiji says, 'Forget it!'
Swamiji checks with Swami Premananda [pictured above] on the second kind of fear, which is Adhidaivika fear or ashanti. Swamiji clarifies that these are obstacles caused by subtle forces. We may not fight the angels, because we cannot see the angels. Hear Swamiji describing how we also need to please the devas – 'the shining ones'.
On the human level we have to please humans. On the spiritual level we need to please spiritual beings. Beings who have not yet attained absolute freedom, moksha or nirvana [liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth]. Says Swamiji: If we do something wrong, they apparently seem to become displeased, and throw obstacles on our path. [Swamiji explained to us that the gods hold 'positions' for a time, but are not yet liberated beings. They have to eventually come back to this plane, take a human body and achieve liberation from this state.]
To explain this apparent jealousy, Swamiji uses an example of an unqualified person being sneaked in to do a task, and the likelihood of the supervisor of that process obstructing such a happening. Because he doesn't want the 'unqualified' person involved. It would be unfair to the already qualified. The issue of some 'jealous devas' [gods] surfaces. Jealous because they don't make the rapid progress required. They want to stay where they are. Swamiji explains the steps to achieving an accord with them. He says that the deva state is the mental state.
Swami asks Premanandaji for the last state, which is Adhibautik. Elemental forces. Water, fire, wind or air. You can control and overcome them by meditating on certain chakras, says Swamiji. A specific example, if implemented: Fire will not burn you – not the soul, but not even the body. There are ways of overcoming the natural elements. And then only you'll be 'Lord'. Swamiji repeats this. Otherwise you are still a servant, subservient to something else.
So spiritual life is a methodical, systematic way to direct the mind, the body and the soul.
Swamiji discusses how spending a little time in satsang or with a holy person is unlikely to permanently change our scattered state of mind. Rather, the foundation of spiritual life is Yama [things we should do] and Niyama [things to avoid doing]. Swamiji advises how we should study and imbibe these precepts.
Swamiji wraps up the homily by stressing that no matter what sadhana or other practices we're doing, if they're not making us better, kinder, more loving individuals, then we're play-acting and wasting our time. Then there's something wrong. That's something other than spiritual practice.
To listen to these dynamics about a more subtle realm, please click on the link below. Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Duration: 10:28
The original audio recordings of these posts were made by close Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and Swami Shivapadananda devotee, Mother Radha. The audio editing and noise reduction of the original 1970s-onwards tapes, has been lovingly engineered, over many years, by her son and our dear gurubhai, Brother Tim. May Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji bless them both.
Admin tip: Underlined words are links. If you click on them, they'll take you to an explanation of the particular word or term. [In these overviews, Admin comments are typically in a smaller green font, and square bracketed, like this statement.]
Dear reader, if you spot typos or or other errors, please feel free to email the site admin on info@imbizo.com with your suggested correction/s.
Context: As always, care should be taken to remember that what Swamiji was saying, may have been very specific to the needs of people with him at the time. Please bear this in mind.
Links to our Guruparampara (spiritual lineage) organisations, which will broaden your knowledge base: Ramakrishna Math and Mission and our alma maters, the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa and the Sri Sarada Devi Ashram in Durban. The Ramakrishna Centre of Johannesburg is also active in Gauteng province in South Africa.
There are various publications [The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna etc.] which you can download at no charge, from the Ramakrishna Centre of SA website page, HERE.
The image in today's post is of our beloved monastic Gurubhai, Swami Premananda Puri, the first president of the Sri Ramakrishna Dham, based in Lenasia South, Johannesburg.